After Republican leaders introduced controversial amendments to the comprehensive immigration reform bill that was brought to the Senate floor for debate yesterday, the President urged legislators to set aside partisanship to fix a “badly broken” system.

In his weekly Internet address, Obama claimed the current bill sets forth commonsense reforms that both sides of the aisle agree upon – providing increased border security, a path to citizenship, and employer accountability. He joined Senate Democrats in warning about proposed changes in the bill that, he said, are designed to unravel the carefully crafted compromise.

“They’ll try to stoke fear and create division,” Obama said, referring to Republicans who criticized the Gang of Eight bill. “They’ll try to play politics with an issue that the vast majority of Americans want addressed.”

The president admitted that the bill as it stands “isn’t perfect”.

“It is a ‘compromise,'” he acknowledged.

But Obama added that it is “largely consistent” with the demands of the American people and his administration’s priorities for reform. Democrats who appeared on the Senate floor Friday accused Republicans of turning their backs on the desires of their constituents when the House passed an amendment that will leave Dreamers – youth who immigrated to the U.S. as children and know no other home — at risk for deportation.

“Nobody will get everything they want – not Democrats, not Republicans, not me,” Obama said.

The president defended the bill’s promise to secure the southwestern border in response to criticism from Republicans such as Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, who claimed the bill was weak on enforcement and too generous with amnesty. Obama cited the bill’s provisions to increase criminal penalties against smugglers and traffickers.

“If enacted, it would represent the most ambitious enforcement plan in recent memory,” Obama said.

Obama concluded by challenging lawmakers to act sooner rather than later. He stated that there is “no reason” that Congress cannot send a bill to his desk by the end of the summer.